GOD Morning! September 14, 2016 Hidden Agenda

GOD Morning!

September 14, 2016

Hidden Agenda

 Luke 23:1-25

Jesus before Pilate

23 Then the whole assembly got up and brought Him before Pilate. ² They began to accuse Jesus, asserting, “We found this Man misleading and perverting our nation and forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar, and claiming that He Himself is Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), a King.” ³ So Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “It is just as you say.”⁴ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this Man.” ⁵ But they were insistent and said, “He stirs up the people [to rebel], teaching throughout Judea, starting from Galilee even as far as here [in Jerusalem].”

⁶ When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. ⁷ And when he learned that He belonged to the jurisdiction of Herod [Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee], he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

Jesus before Herod

⁸ When Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly pleased. He had wanted to see Him for a long time because of what he had heard about Him, and was hoping to see some [miraculous] sign [even something spectacular] done by Him. ⁹ And he questioned Him at some length, but Jesus made no reply. ¹⁰ The chief priests and the scribes were standing there, continually accusing Him heatedly.¹¹ And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking and ridiculing Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. ¹² Now that very day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other—before this they had been enemies.

Pilate Seeks Jesus’ Release

¹³ Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people, ¹⁴ and said to them, “You brought this man before me as one who corrupts and incites the people to rebellion. After examining Him before you, I have found no guilt in this Man regarding the charges which you make against Him. ¹⁵ No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and indeed, He has done nothing to deserve death. ¹⁶ Therefore I will punish Him [to teach Him a lesson] and release Him.”¹⁷ [Now he was obligated to release to them one prisoner at the Feast.]

¹⁸ But they [loudly] shouted out all together, saying, “Away with this Man, and release Barabbas to us!” ¹⁹ (He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection that happened in the city, and for murder.) ²⁰ Pilate addressed them again, wanting to release Jesus, ²¹ but they kept shouting out, “Crucify, crucify Him!” ²² A third time he said to them, “Why, what wrong has He done? I have found no guilt [no crime, no offense] in Him demanding death; therefore I will punish Him [to teach Him a lesson] and release Him.” ²³ But they were insistent and unrelenting, demanding with loud voices that Jesus be crucified. And their voices began to prevail and accomplish their purpose. ²⁴ Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. ²⁵ And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he handed over Jesus to their will.

The unthinkable happened. After Pilate addressed the angry mob the third time, pretty much begging them to relent, their hateful voices accomplished their purpose. Pilate pronounced the sentence that they demanded.

What??? This was not the plan. I’m sure Judas, the betrayer, thought that he had a fool proof plan. Jesus would be released and he would have his money.

I believe Judas started out sincerely loving Jesus. I have known folks like that. They started out sincere, but over time, they became divided.

Can an evil spirit enter into a Christian? Yes. If the Christian starts entertaining evil thoughts, they will become divided. Torn. Pretty soon, their evil schemes will be stronger than their love for Christ.

In the beginning, Judas followed Jesus. Over time, he started to be divided. He started loving money more than Jesus. His selfish desires led to the unthinkable. The Crucifixion of his Lord. 

Judas thought that he had orchestrated the most brilliant plan ever. In reality, satan was the one who conceived the plan, and slipped it into Judas’ thoughts.

Pilate tried three times to convince the crowd to let Jesus go, but to no avail.

This is the most perfect example of how our best laid plans can fail. We must run every plan by Jesus. Sometimes, we can fool ourselves into believing a plan is for good, when in reality, it is a selfish plan.

Sometimes, we don’t even realize that satan is using us to work his plan, not ours. Seriously. This can totally happen to any one of us.

“Oh God! Help me to be real with You. You know my heart anyway. I can’t fool You! How on earth could Judas have thought for one second that he could fool You? After seeing all of the miracles and sitting at Your feet as You taught.  Oh God, I don’t ever want to have a hidden agenda. I don’t ever want to think too highly of my plan. That’s when my plan will fail. I must humbly submit every plan to You. This is a reality check for me this morning, God. I humbly submit every plan that I have to You first. Please reveal to me any hidden agenda that I may have. I so appreciate Your patience with me. How I love You Jesus, AMEN.”